She was going to agree with him on everything. “I would appreciate it. The idea of being in front of a bunch of cameras makes me nervous. I’m a behind-the-scenes kind of woman.”
“I’ll make sure of it.” Nolan stepped back.
“Hey.” Deke was suddenly striding down the hall, slowing from what seemed like a jog. “Sorry. I know I’m a little early, but I was hoping I could convince you to come to dinner with me. Nolan, it’s good to see you again.”
Nolan turned, holding out a hand. “Deke, it’s good to see you as well. I was just telling Madeline here that she should relax more. Everything is going to work out exactly the way it should.”
Why did that feel like a threat? She moved to Deke’s side, slipping her hand into his and feeling better than she had in hours. “Of course it will. We’ve been working for this for years.”
“We’re ahead of schedule,” Nolan boasted. “I know other companies would burn the candle at both ends and panic, but with the exception of a few bells-and-whistles kind of problems, we’re in excellent shape. So we can relax and enjoy this time because we’re making history, baby.”
He was right back to the man who showed up in interviews, a bright smile on his face—the happy captain of American industry.
“Good, then I’ll take her out of here. We’re going to do some prep work for tonight,” Deke explained.
Nolan nodded. “Excellent. I’m going to do the same. Jane is excited about tonight. We’ll see you in a couple of hours then. And Deke?”
“Yes?” Deke asked.
“Thanks for making all of this possible. I can’t tell you how much tonight is going to change my life,” Nolan said, his tone hushed and fervent.
“I’m glad to help. Everything is ready. We’ll be waiting for you.” Deke squeezed her hand as though he knew she needed some comfort. “Let’s go. I want to spend some time with you before we start our evening with the group.”
Nolan nodded her way and stepped back. “Have a good time. I’ll see you tonight at ten.”
She watched as he walked away.
Deke pulled her into his arms, whispering in her ear. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m good. But you were right. He knows I was looking into the absences. He asked about them.”
Deke’s arms tightened around her. “Okay. We’ll deal with it. Let’s get through tomorrow and we’ll discuss how to handle it. You’re not working this weekend, so we have some time. Come on. I want to get you to The Reef. I have some other things I want to talk about.”
She stepped back and moved into her office, grabbing her purse and then following him out.
No matter what he said, it felt like time was running out.
* * * *
Nolan nodded at the driver. Normally he preferred to drive himself, to be the man of the people he wanted the world to see. But today he needed to ensure privacy for Jane, and that meant her not walking into the office.
Or at least that was what she’d demanded. Normally she met him in his office, walking through the building with the confidence of a woman who didn’t care who saw her. This afternoon she’d called and set up this meeting for after work. He rather thought she understood something was off.
He slid into the back of the big black SUV and the door closed behind him.
“Is everything on for tonight?” Jane sat beside him, her hair up in a prim twist. She wore her usual chic skirt and blouse, expensive heels on her feet and a Prada bag nestled at her hip. He’d bought her the Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra pendant she wore around her neck. She’d been very specific about the one she’d wanted. It had to be the onyx and yellow gold.
I lost my old one, and it meant the world to me. I had to leave everything behind, but this would feel like a new beginning.
She was like everyone else when it came to his money. She wanted her piece, but he could handle that. Money was the building block of what he truly desired. Power.
“Yes, we’re meeting them at The Reef at ten p.m. We’ll change and then be given a tour.” He’d received the schedule from Ms. Summers-Hunt earlier this afternoon. When he took over that club, he intended to ensure that bitch knew she didn’t have anything over him. She’d gone on his list. It was a long list of every single person who’d ever fucked him over. He’d crossed a whole lot of them off. Some had gotten off easy. He’d merely screwed them over in a businesslike fashion. Like that sarcastic asshole who’d done his security in the early days. All he’d cost that man was money and a bit of pride.
But some, he intended to cost far more. Kayla Summers-Hunt had made that list along with all the members of The Reef who’d tried to keep him out.
He would have put Madeline Hill in the helpful category, but lately it rankled that she was going to make so much money off his company. And there were other problems to consider.
“Good.” Jane sat back as the SUV began moving. “You’ve done well, Nolan. You’ve been a perfect partner.”
Only the sight of her shapely legs softened the blow of being treated like a fucking lackey. He wasn’t her partner. He would show her that soon enough. She’d crossed her legs and the motion slid her skirt up over her knees.
He wished she wasn’t so gorgeous. Her body was sheer perfection and her face was exquisite, but then he was almost certain that was artificial. She had some small scars that led him to believe she’d had plastic surgery in the last few years. He should know. He had some done himself, though he rather thought she’d had some radical surgery, not the simple nose job and neck tightening he’d had. He appreciated her perfection no matter how she’d come by it.
Her attitude was the thing that rankled, but he would take care of that soon enough.
“And you were right about Madeline. You told me she might be trouble,” he murmured.
“What’s happened?”
Oh, he had her full attention now. “Madeline’s been asking around about employees taking sick leave. Specifically the ones we tested the initial waves on.”
They’d needed to know if the damn thing worked. Of course they’d dialed back on the intensity. He hadn’t wanted to have to explain a bunch of employees with fried brains. A watered-down version had done the trick, and it appeared Madeline had solved the issue of how to integrate the weapon into Clarke’s systems. He simply had to figure out how she’d done it.
Or force her to do it herself right before he dealt with her.
“So she’s asking questions,” Jane mused. “I don’t like that at all. By the way, I was right to shut down your hiring until the launch. You had an inquiry from a man who used to work for the Central Intelligence Agency.”
And now she had his attention. “The CIA?”
“I told you they would very likely be looking your way at some point. Don’t worry about it. I’ve got it handled.”
“How exactly are you going to handle it?”
“Well, first of all I made sure you didn’t hire one of them. Secondly, you’ll have to trust that my associates take this project very seriously. We won’t allow anything to interfere with our plans, and that means not allowing the Agency to screw everything up. But you have to decide how you want to deal with Madeline Hill. She’s becoming a problem. If she’s asking those questions, she’s starting to put things together, and I don’t think she can be bought out. Can we ensure her silence in some way?”